Honda’s new robot that was sent to Fukushima Daiichi could drastically improve inspection of the damaged reactors. The new robot has a long arm with 11 joints can extend up to 23 feet. The robot needs to be operated by a long fiber optic cable but has the potential to “see” into areas currently off limits to workers and current technology. http://www.gizmag.com/honda-aist-high-access-survey-robot-nuclear-plant/28063/

The governor of Niigata is coming out clearly against the restart of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear reactors. The units owned by TEPCO are part of a government plan to keep the failing power company afloat so it doesn’t continue to devour government funds. The governor points out a number of flaws in the current safety plans and the lack of understanding as the Fukushima Daiichi disaster is still not fully understood. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130629p2a00m0na016000c.html